JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday that he will seek final Cabinet approval for a Gaza withdrawal in February, four months earlier than planned, and he threatened harsh retaliation if Palestinian militants try to disrupt the pullback.

The warning came as Israel released 159 prisoners in a gesture to Egypt and the new Palestinian leadership.

Sharon told lawmakers on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that he is pushing forward the Cabinet vote at the request of Israel's attorney general, according to meeting participants. The idea is to give settlers six months to prepare for their evacuation, he said.

The early vote does not change the schedule for the pullout, which is to begin in July, but it was the latest sign of Sharon's determination to carry it out.

Under Sharon's plan, Israel will pull out of the entire Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements next year, uprooting 8,800 settlers from their homes.

Sharon says the continued occupation of Gaza, where 8,200 settlers live amid 1.3 million Palestinians, is untenable. Jewish settlements in Gaza come under attack daily.

"This evacuation will not be carried out under fire," he was quoted as saying. "We conveyed a serious warning (that) . . . our response will be most severe."

When Sharon unveiled his plan early this year, he envisioned the pullout as a unilateral act, saying there was no serious Palestinian negotiating partner.

But since the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Nov. 11, Sharon has said he would be willing to coordinate the withdrawal with the new Palestinian leadership if it cracks down on militants.

Sharon said he hopes that after Jan. 9 presidential elections, the Palestinians will begin taking action such as sending their security forces to areas used by militants in Gaza to stage rocket and mortar attacks.

Israel has quietly backed interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is considered a moderate, and has approved a series of measures meant to facilitate next month's voting.

In another gesture to Abbas, Israel released 159 Palestinian prisoners yesterday. Abbas welcomed the release but said Israel must free the thousands of prisoners still serving lengthy terms.

About 7,000 Palestinians are held by Israel on security-related charges, and Abbas is under intense pressure at home to win their freedom.

The prisoners released yesterday had no more than two years remaining on their sentences, and dozens were held only for staying in Israel without entry permits – mostly to work. Israel refuses to release Palestinians imprisoned for fatal attacks on Israelis.

The release was part of a prisoner swap with Egypt, which freed an accused Israeli spy Dec. 5. Israeli officials described yesterday's inmate release as a sign of warming ties with Egypt.

Abbas demanded Saturday that Israel release all prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the Palestinian uprising who is serving five life sentences for murder.

Mohammed Dahlan, a former Palestinian security chief, was permitted to meet Barghouti in prison yesterday. Dahlan said he and Barghouti would favor a cease-fire and resumption of peace talks if Israel halts what he called "aggression" against the Palestinians. Barghouti, who recently gave up a bid to seek the Palestinian presidency, also called on his followers to support Abbas.